Receptacle-filling machine



may a, 1924.; www@ c. A. HOY

RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Fld May 29. 191B 2 Sheets-Shes l july s, 1192@a LSOZUA c. A. HOY

RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE` Filed May 29', 1918 2 sheets-'gimen 2 Patented July 8, 1924,

UNH'ED STATES earaarucr F l Q F CLARENCE A. HOY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 PEER/LESS HUSKER` COMPANY, A COPARTNERSHIP, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

RECEPTACLE-FILLING BIAGI-HNE.

Application led May 29,

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE A. HOY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Receptacle-Filling Machines, of which the following is a specifica' tion.

This invention relates to a machine for partly or wholly filling containers or receptacles such as tin cans with the material which is to be packed or preserved.

It is the object of this invention to produce an improved machine for this purpose in which the receptacle, container or can itself serves as the element which determines the amount of material which is delivered into the receptacle in order to exactly fill the same and to accomplish this by means which areY of simple and durable construction and efficient in operation, which are not liable to crush or bruise the contents of the can, which can be readily adapted to fill receptacles of different sizes, which is so designed as to 7 avoid objectionable dripping from the supply means after a can has been filled, and in which the joint or seal between the can or container and the supply means is effected without requiring undue pressure between these part-s.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a vertical section ofl a receptacle filling machine embodying my inven` tion. Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2 2, Fig. 3. Figure 3 isa fragmentary vertical section of the valve mecha` nism embodying my improvements, the section being taken at right angles to Fig. l. Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of this valve mechanism. Figures 5 and 6 are fragmentary sections shown in modified forms of thevalve mechanism.

Similar characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

My improvements'are capable of use in a machine which is adapted fill a receptacle. container or can either wholly with liquid or similar material or to only finish filling of such receptacles. When packing syrup or pulp of vegetables the can is usually filled entirely with this material, but when packing beans or thelike it is customary to add a small quantity of tomato sauce or other dressing and wht' 'i packing fruits and similar material it i: istomary to complete or 1918. Serial No. 237,308.

finish the lling of the can by delivering into the same a quantity of brine, syrup or preservative.

l represents the supply tank or reservoir from which the fluid or semi-fluid material to be packed is drawn for delivery into the container which is to receive the same. This container in this instance is represented as a tin can having an upright cylindrical body 2 and a horizontal bottom 3 while its upper end is opened. During the filling operation this can rests with its underside on a table 4 which is movable toward and from. the reservoir or tank and the parts associated therewith.

5 represents an upright supply pipe which communicates with the supply tank and is preferably connected at its upper end with the outlet 6 in the bottom of this tank by means of a coupling nipple 7 provided with a lower internal screw thread engagingl with the externally threaded upper end of the supply pipe and an upper external thread which engages the internal thread in the outlet of the supply tank as shown in Fig. 1. Slidable vertically on the lower part of this supply pipe is a bearing head which is adapted to form a joint or seal with the upper edge of the can and also part of the valve mechanism whereby communication is established between the lower end of the supply pipe and the can as well as interrupting communication between these two members. This bearing head preferably comprises an upper non-elastic plate 8 which is guided on the supply pipe and a lower' elastic facing 9 adapted to engage with the upper edge of the receptacle which is to be filled and form a liquid tight joint or seal therebetween. The non-elastic plate preferably consists of metal and is provided with a tubular neck or hub l0 whereby the same is guided on the supply pipe, a leak-tight joint being preferably effected between this hub or neck and pipe by means of a packing 11 surrounding the supply pipe and compressed between the upper end of this hub and a gland 12 connected with this hub.

The hearing head is vieldingly held in its depressed position by means of a spring 13 surrounding the supply pipe 5 and engaging its upper end with a coupling nipple 7 while its lower end engages with the gland l2 of the bearing head. The elastic facing is preferably constructed in the form of an annular ring and the same is connected with the metal plate of the bearing head by providing the underside of this plate with an annular groove 14 which is undercut or of upwardly flaring or dove-tail shape in cross section so that when the upper part of the elastic facing engages with this groove the same will be of corresponding form and be locked or retained against displacement therein. The opening-in the center of the elastic facing of the bearing head formsa port leading from the lower end of the supply pipe to the underside of this facing and tothe interior of the can which is `engaged at its upper edge by the underside of this facing. The tightness of the joint between the can and the bearing head depends uponthe condition of the upper edge of this can and the pressure which is eXerted upon by the same by the facing ofthe bearing head; It has been found in practice that the upper edge of a can Vis frequently rough, nic-kerl or otherwise damaged which renders it difhcult to maintain a tight joint or seal between this can and the bearing head in order to prevent the loss and waste of any of the material which is being delivered into the can. To enable the bearing head to readily adapt itself to variations in the upper edge of the can and form a tight joint therewith without requiring undue pressure this elastic facing is preferably constructed of a core or body 16 of porous material such as sponge rubber and a shell or jacket 17 of non-porous material such as soft solid rubber which is connected with the core or body b v vulcaniZat-ion, A facing thus constructed has more resilience than if the same were entirely constructed of the purest grade of lgumrubber and therefore enables the same to readily adapt itself to an irregular edge of the can so as to form a tight joint therewith without| vrequiring undue pressure between these parts and thereby produce a leak proof joint without undulv wearing this facing.

v The diameter ofthe bearing head is sufficientlyflarge to accommodate cans of different diameters, the upper edges of which engage with the outer part of the underside of the bearing*headY facing .according to the diameter of the respective can. The inner part ofthe underside of this bearing head facing forms a valve seat which is adapted to be engaged by a valve disk 18 which controls communica tion between the supply pipe and the port of the bearing head and the mouth ofthe can which to be filled.Y This valve disc is preferably constructed in the form of aacomparatively thin disk of metal which is arrange-Id horizontally close to the underside of'the hearing head and adapted to'engage the upperfside of its marginal part withl the valve seatformed by the inner part of the bearing headfacing so as to form a leak tight join-t therewith. The valve disk is of such diameter that the samewhen arranged axially in the month of va can has its periphery only a short distance from the bore of the can and thus nearly covers the mouth of the same. ln order7 therefore, to adapt this filling machine for cans of different diameters a plurality of valve disks are provided which are of different diameterj each valve disk being suited for a particular size of the can so that by inter-changing these valve disks cans of various diameters can be filled with the same machine. ln the larger sizes ofv valve disks which are intended for filling cans of large kdiameters the upper side of the valveV disk is provided at its margin with an upwardly projecting narrow annular rim. bearing 1 9 for engagenient with the elastic surface of the bearing head along a narrow surface only so as to insure proper closing of the port of this valve mechanism but'this rim may be omitted and the marginal'part ofthe disk engaged directly with the facing of the bearing head near its port, as represented by the valve disk 2O in Fig. 5;

This valve disk whether of large or small diameter is detachablymounted on the lower end of the supply pipe so as to be immovable thereon when in use and the same also forms part of the means whereby the interior of the can is vented to the atmosphere so as to permit the air in the canto escape and enable the packing material toV freely enter the can. For this purpose a supporting disk 21 is arranged'horizontally below the lower end of the supply pipe and below the port of the bearing head. This supporting disk is preferably connected with the supply pipe b vv means of a transverse bridge 22 extending across the lower Vend ofthe supply pipe and in the preferred construction. the supporting diskand the bridge are made integrally of cast metal. The valve di 18 is detachablj.T secured to the supporting disk and bridge by a screw 27Vpassing upwardly through the central parts of these members. ln its upper side the valve disk is provided centrally with a circular recess 22 which receives the supporting disk this recess being equal in depth to the thickness of the supporting disk so that the upper side of the supporting disk and the adjacent part of the upper sideof the valve disk is flush, as shown in 1 and 3.

- The opposing surfacesof the supporting disk and the valve disk are constructed to forni a vent vchamberbetween the same, this being preferably7V accomplished by providing the underside of the supporting disk with an annular groove or recess 24 as shown in Figs. 1V and 3. `rlhevalve disk is provided with a plurality of' vent openings 25 which are `preferably Varranged around theaXis of the ,same and'each eirlill tending from the vent chamber to the underside of the valve disk so that the interior ofthe can which is being filled is placed in communication with the vent chamber'. 26 represents a vent pipe arranged within the supply pipe and tank and terminating at its upper end vabove the' liquid space within the tank while its lower end is secured in an opening in the bridge so that this vent pipe communicates with the vent chamber.

When this machine is at rest the bearing head is held yieldingly in its lowermost position with its elastic facing engaging the valve disk by the spring 13 so that at this time no liquid or other material can escape from the tank through the supply pipe and past the valve. In the operation of filling a can or receptacle the latter is placed upon the table 4 axially in line with the valve disk and then the table is lifted. During this'upper movement of the can the valve mechanism remains undisturbed up to the time the upper edge of the can engages the elastic facing of the bearing head, as shown in Fig. l.' Upon continuing the upward movement of the can after its upper edge engages with the elastic facing of the bearing head the latter will be lifted so as to disengage its valve seat from the valve disk, thereby opening the valve and permitting the liquid material to flow from the tank through the supply pipe and port of the bearing head into the upper end of the receptacle, the air ini the can during this time escaping through the vent openings, vent chamber and vent pipe tothe atmosphere. Only so much material will flow from the tank into the can as is necessary to completely lill the latter so that in effect the can, container or receptacle automaticallyv serves as the measuring instrument whereby the exact quantity of material required to completely lill the can is controlled. .After the can' hasV been thus lilled the table is lowered together with the can, therebypermitting the bearing head to again lower into engagement with the valve disk under the' action of the spring 13 and thereby cut off the further escape of material from the supply tank so that nodripping of the surplus material occurs at the edge of the valve.

Owing to the large area ofthe valve disk which extends practically over the entire upper end or mouth of the can to be filledl any materialwhich has been Ypreviously inserted in the can .will becpres'sed downwardly uniformly during the filling operation and then.v released in like manner when the can is withdrawn from the valve mechanism `and permitting the solid contents of the can to spring back into its normal v position thereby avoiding .crushing or bruising ofthe fruit whichwould be liable to occur if a comparatively narrow instruiment were pushed downwardly into the mass of material which is being packed during the filling operation.

By employing a plurality of vent openings around the axis of the valve disk it is practically impossible to prevent the escape of air from the upper end of the can while the lilling material is entering the same. This is due to the fact that the vent openings are suiciently numerous so that if one or more of them should become clogged by the material in the can a sutiicient number of the same will still be vacant or unobstructed torpermit the free escape of the air from the can to the outer atmosphere, thereby insuring uniform and complete filling of all of the cans with the material which is to be packed.

By constructing the facing of the bearing head of a core of porous sponge rubber and a jacket of non-porous or solid flexible rubber contamination of this facing is rendered impossible while at the same time forming a leak tight joint or sea-l between the rims of the cans which may or may not be damaged with the use of comparatively light pressure. n

p If desiredthe upper side of the supporting disk 28 in the case of small valves may engage at its marginal part with the underside of the valve seat or face of the bearing head and serve as the valve proper while the associated disk 29 merely serves as a pressure plate for distributing the pressure` uniformly over the top of the fruit in the can, as shown in Fig. 6.

Thile the liquid is flowing from the tank l into the upper end of the receptacle which is being filled, some of this liquid also rises in the vent tube 26, but when the filling valve is closed upon withdrawing the receptacle from the underside thereof the liquid in the vent tube will flow into the upper end of the receptacle and lill the space previouslyoccupied in the receptacle by the disk 18 and associated parts, the amount of liquid so delivered by thevent pipe into the receptacle being taken into consideration when designing the apparatus.

As a whole this valve mechanism is eX- ceedingly simple, the same is not liable to get out of order,'it can be produced at comparatively low cost and owing to the vparts being readily accessible, it is possible to thoroughly clean the same and maintain it in the most sanitary condition.

"I claim as my invention: y,

' l. A receptacle filling machine comprising a bearing head having a filling passage and provided on its underside with a valve seat, af supporting disk arranged at the lower end ofsaid passage, and a valve disk arranged with itslcentral part below the underside of said supporting Vdisk and adapted to engage its marginal part with said valve seat, the opposing surfaces of said supporting and valve disks being spaced apart to forma vent chamber leading ,to the atmosphere and said valve disk being provided with a plurality of ventV openings leading from said chamber to the underside of said valve disk.

2. A receptacle filling machine comprising a bearing head having a filling'passage f gage its marginal part with said valve seat,v

the opposing surfaces of said supporting and valve disks being spaced apart to form a vent chamber leading to the atmosphere and said valve disk being provided withV a plurality of vent openings leading from said chamber to the underside of said valve disk, and a bridge carrying said supporting and' valve disks and provided with a vent passage leading to the atmosphere.

3. A receptacle filling machine comprising a stationary upright supply pipe adapted to communicate at its upper end with a supply of the filling material, a bearing head slidable' vertically on said pipe and having a central port communicating with said pipe and a bearing face on its underside the outer part of which is adapted to be engaged by the upper edge of the receptacle to be filled, a spring for holding said head yieldingly in its depressed position, a supporting disk mounted on 'the lower end of said pipe, and 'ai valve disk arranged with its central part below said supporting disk and engaging its marginal part with the inner part of the bearing face of said head, said supporting and valve disks'being spaced apart to form a vent chamber which leads to the atmosphere and said valve disk being provided with a plurality of vent openings leading from said chamber to the underside of said valve disk.

4. A receptacle filling machine comprising a stationary upright supply pipe adapted to communicate at its upper end with a supply of the filling material, abearing head slidable vertically on said pipe 'and having a central port communication with said pipe and a bearing face on its underside the outer part of which is adapted to be engaged by the upper edge of the receptacle to be filled, a spring for holding said head yieldingly in its depressed position, a bridge extending across the lower end of said pipe, a supporting disk mounted on said bridge, a' valve disk having the central part of its upper side provided with a recess which receives said supporting disk and engaging the upper. side of its 'marginal part with the inner part ofthe bearing face of said head, the opposiiig- Surfaes. 0f ,Said VSiliaprtiils and valve.

disks being spaced apart to form a vent chamber and said valve disk-being provided Ywith a vplurality of vent openings leading from said chamber to the underside of said valve disk and a vent pipe connected with,

said bridge and extending from said chamber upwardly through said supply pipe to the atmosphere.

5. A filling machine comprisingva main reservoir, and a discharge device for controlling the flow from said main reservoir, said discharge device comprising a combination valve, displacement and spreader member, comprising aAV substantially fiat disc, having an annular seating surface on its upper face, a vent tube leading from said combination member for the escape of the air displaced .from the can by the flowing in of the liquid, a passage for the liquid from said -main reservoir to the upper face of lsaid combination member, and a sealing member having a flat, annular lower sealing surface of consiberable extent, said sealing member being' vertically reciprocable,and said sealing surface having a portion for engaging the seating surface on theupper face of said combination member7 and having a fiat, annular seating surface of considerable extent extending beyond said combination member, whereby said discharge member may be used with various sizes ofcans without accurately centering said cans with respect to said'discharge controlling means, and means for bringing the edge of the can into sealing engagement with said extended annular sealing surface, to lift said sealing member, to permitthe flow of liquid` from saidv main reservoir, over said spreader member, between said seating surface and said sealing surface, said combination member being readily detachable and' replaceable, whereby displacement discs of various sizes may be used to vary the displacement. Y

y 6. A filling machine comprising a main reservoir, and a discharge device for controlling the flow from said main reservoir, said discharge device comprising a combination valve, displacement and spreader member, comprising a substantially fiat disc having an annular seating surface on .its upper face, a vent tube leading from said combination member for-the escape of the air displaced from the can by the flowing in of the liquid, an annular passage member for the liquid from said main reservoir,

to the upper face of said combination member, and a sealing member having a flat annular lower sealing surface of considverable extent, said sealing member being surface on the upper face of` said combina-VV tion member and having a flatannular seat,-

ing surface of considerable extent eXtendengagement with said extended annular suring beyond said combination member Whereface, to permit the How of liquid from said by said discharge member may be used with. main reservoir over said spreader member 10 Various sizes of cans Without accurately between said seating surface and said seal- `5 centering said cans With respect to. said ing surface.

discharge controlling means, and means for bringing the edge of the can into sealing CLARENCE A. HOY. 

